Israelis Pay Respects to Peres, Clinton Arrives in Israel

Israelis Pay Respects to Peres, Clinton Arrives in Israel
Members of the Knesset guard carry the coffin of former Israeli President Shimon Peres at the Knesset plaza in Jerusalem on Sept. 29, 2016. AP Photo/Oded Balilty
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JERUSALEM—Former U.S. President Bill Clinton joined thousands of Israeli mourners Thursday who paid their respects to the late Shimon Peres outside Israel’s parliament in Jerusalem, as the country somberly remembered the Nobel-winning politician who helped lead Israel during a remarkable seven-decade career.

Clinton is among the dozens of current and former world leaders, including President Barack Obama and Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas, expected to gather in Jerusalem on Friday for Peres’ funeral. The former Israeli president and prime minister died Wednesday, two weeks after suffering a stroke, at the age of 93.

A senior Palestinian official said that Abbas had decided Thursday to attend the funeral, and will come to the event with a small delegation of top aides, including his chief negotiator Saeb Erekat and his security chief Majid Faraj.

President Barack Obama is greeted by Israeli President Shimon Peres (L) and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu at Ben Gurion International Airport in Tel Aviv, Israel on March 20, 2013. (AP Photo/Pablo Martinez Monsivais, File)
President Barack Obama is greeted by Israeli President Shimon Peres (L) and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu at Ben Gurion International Airport in Tel Aviv, Israel on March 20, 2013. AP Photo/Pablo Martinez Monsivais, File